A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, revoked the N100m million bail granted to a Briton, James Nolan, who is a director in the Process and Industrial Development Limited.
Justice Ahmed Mohammed, in a ruling, issued a bench warrant against Nolan.
He ordered that he should be arrested by security agencies, including Interpol, anywhere he is sighted within or outside Nigeria and be produced in court to stand trial.
“As far as this court is concerned, the absence of the second defendant (Nolan) in court implies he has jumped bail.
“The bail is hereby recalled, and a bench warrant is issued against the second defendant,” he ruled.
The judge also directed that his surety, Mr George Kadiri, a retired civil servant living in Gwagwalada, Abuja, should appear in court on the next adjourned date to show why his bail bond should not be forfeited.
Justice Mohammed consequently adjourned the matter until November 3 for a hearing.
The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the judge gave the order following an oral application made by counsel for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Bala Sanga.
The anti-graft agency had arraigned Nolan on August 18, 2020, before Justice Mohammed in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/143/2020.
While Lurgi Consult Limited is the first defendant, Nolan is the second defendant in the matter.
Nolan, alleged to be at large, is also standing trial in about eight other cases for his involvement in the controversial $9.6bn contract awarded to P&ID.
NAN reports that while eight of the matters are before the FHC in Abuja, with six of the cases before Justice Mohammed, one case is before the FCT High Court.
Upon resuming hearings in the matter, Sanga told the court that Nolan, who was standing trial, had jumped bail.
He said though the agency’s first prosecution witness, Mr Tope Erinomo, was in court, Nolan was not.
He said there had been a deliberate attempt by the defence to frustrate the case since Nolan was admitted to bail by Justice Okon Abang after the defence appealed the bail terms earlier imposed.
However, Nolan’s counsel, Michael Ajara, said it was not in Sanga’s place to raise such issues.
Ajara, who held the brief of Paul Erokoro, SAN, stated that Nolan, since the commencement of his case, had always been in court, even in other matters where he was standing trial.
Responding, the judge said all the explanations by Ajara led to the conclusion that Nolan was nowhere to be found.